9.4 Harvest ethics & sustainability

Harvest Ethics & Sustainability in Agarwood – Ensuring High-Quality Resin Without Compromising Trees or Ecosystems

Sustainable harvesting is critical for long-term profitability, tree longevity, and ecosystem health. Ethical practices maximize resin yield and quality while preserving the resource for future cycles.

1. Key Principles of Ethical Harvest

  1. Tree Health First
    • Only harvest trees with mature, polymerized resin.
    • Avoid over-harvesting or removing too much resin at once.
    • Ensure DBH-based spacing and inoculation limits are followed.
  2. Selective Harvesting
    • Harvest resin-rich zones while leaving sufficient healthy tissue for tree recovery.
    • Preserve trees with lower resin density for future induction cycles.
  3. Minimize Damage
    • Use small, precise cuts when extracting resin blocks or chips.
    • Avoid deep drilling or excessive chiseling that compromises cambium integrity.
  4. Avoid Over-Inoculation
    • Respect time-gaps and phase-based induction schedules to prevent stress accumulation.
    • Prevent necrosis and tree mortality by managing fungal and abiotic induction loads.

2. Sustainability Guidelines

PracticeRationale
DBH-based harvest & inoculationEnsures young trees are not over-stressed
Staggered harvesting cyclesMaintains continuous production while allowing tree recovery
Phase-based induction (AgarStart™, FusaPrime™, FusaTrinity™, ResinRush™/FusaBlaze™)Optimizes resin yield while reducing mortality
Leave residual resin zonesPreserves tree vigor and future harvest potential
Monitor soil, moisture, and local ecosystemMaintains overall plantation health

3. Farmer-Friendly Practices

  • Harvest in waves: Only remove resin from mature spots per tree.
  • Track tree health: Record DBH, resin density, and previous induction cycles.
  • Recycle and optimize: Use chips or partial blocks for lower-grade applications; reserve high-density resin for premium use.
  • Avoid destructive methods: No felling, deep drilling, or over-inoculation.

4. Social & Environmental Responsibility

  • Respect local biodiversity and avoid clearing natural forests for new plantations.
  • Promote knowledge sharing and cooperative management to ensure long-term sustainability.
  • Document resin yields, tree longevity, and induction protocols to improve practices over time.

5. Farmer-Friendly Summary

  1. Harvest ethically: Only mature, polymerized resin; preserve tree health
  2. Apply sustainable methods: Phase-based induction, DBH-based spacing, staggered harvest
  3. Maintain plantation longevity: Leave trees for future cycles, prevent over-stressing
  4. Support ecosystem & community: Minimize environmental impact, share knowledge

Analogy:

Harvesting agarwood is like picking apples from a tree: take only the ripe fruit, leave enough for the tree to continue producing, and ensure the orchard thrives for years.

6. BarIno™ Principle

Ethical, sustainable harvesting maximizes long-term yield, quality, and tree longevity.
By following phase-based induction, time-gap management, and selective harvest, BarIno™ ensures premium agarwood production without compromising trees or ecosystems.